How to hang a bike on the wall without damaging the frame or the plaster

What you need

• Hammer drill (Bosch, Makita or similar) and 8 and 10 mm masonry bits
• Spirit level or cross-line laser level
• Cable, pipe and metal detector (such as the Bosch GMS 120)
• Pencil, tape measure, screwdriver and socket wrench
• Small vacuum cleaner or a blower to clear dust from the holes
• Stable stepladder
• Vertical wall bracket with a rubber-coated hook or horizontal bracket with padded arms (Leroy Merlin, Decathlon Btwin, Hornit Clug, Ibera)
• Fischer DuoPower 8x40 or 10x50 expanding nylon plugs, or Fischer FIS V chemical anchor for hollow brick
• Zinc-plated or A2 stainless coach screws, 6x60 or 8x70, with a wide washer
• Metal cavity fixings for plasterboard (Fischer GKM) and an 18-20 mm board, only if there is no other option
• Self-adhesive rubber or felt wall protector where the wheel touches
• Masking tape for marking

Step by step

1. 1

   Weigh the bike and measure the space

   A road bike weighs 7-10 kg, a mountain bike 12-15 kg, an electric bike 20-25 kg. Measure the handlebar width (40-45 cm on a road bike, 70-75 cm on a mountain bike) so you can space bikes 45-80 cm apart. If your electric bike weighs over 20 kg, do not hang it: use a floor stand.

2. 2

   Choose between a vertical and a horizontal bracket

   The vertical one hangs the bike by the front wheel on a hook and takes 50-60 cm of width but 170-190 cm of height. The horizontal one holds the top tube with two padded arms and leaves the bike parallel to the wall, taking 90-120 cm of width. If the frame is carbon, choose brackets that hold the wheels or wide, soft arms, without squeezing the tube.

3. 3

   Identify the wall

   Tap it with your knuckles. A dull, hard sound is concrete or solid brick and takes expanding nylon plugs. A hollow sound with a cavity is hollow brick, which needs a chemical anchor or a long expanding plug. A drum-like sound is plasterboard, which will not hold a bike unless the screw goes into a stud or a board fixed to two studs.

4. 4

   Detect pipes and cables

   Before drilling, pass the detector over the whole area and 30 cm above and below. Avoid drilling above sockets and switches and below junction boxes. In bathrooms and kitchens there are water pipes, so take more care.

5. 5

   Mark the height and position

   For the vertical bracket, the rear wheel should end up 15-20 cm off the floor, and the hook at 170-190 cm. For the horizontal one, the top tube usually sits at 150-170 cm from the floor. Mark the holes with the bracket against the wall and the level, and hold it with masking tape.

6. 6

   Drill with hammer action and clean the holes

   Use the bit the size of the plug (8 or 10 mm), with the depth stop set 5 mm longer than the plug. Drill straight with hammer action in concrete and solid brick, and without hammer action in hollow brick. Blow or vacuum out the dust; a dirty hole halves the grip.

7. 7

   Insert the plugs and fix the bracket

   In hollow brick, use the long nylon plug or the chemical anchor with its mesh sleeve. Push the plug in flush with the wall, offer up the bracket and screw in with the coach screw and washer without overdoing it, until the plate is firm. Check with the level before the final tightening.

8. 8

   Protect the wall

   Stick a strip of felt or rubber on the wall at the height where the rear wheel or pedal will rest. That way the plaster is not marked and the paint is not stained by chain grease. In flats with gotelé (textured plaster) walls, put the protector on a thin board.

9. 9

   Test the load

   Before lifting the bike, hang a rucksack of 15-20 kg on the bracket for 10 minutes and pull down on it with your hands. It must not move or creak. If it gives, check the plug and drill again 3-4 cm further along.

10. 10

    Hang the bike and adjust

    Lift the bike holding it by the frame and the saddle, hook the wheel on the hook or rest the tube on the arms, and turn the handlebar so it sits parallel to the wall. If there are several bikes, alternate the handlebar direction to save width. Leave the chain on the small chainring so it does not scratch the wall.

How to hang bikes on the wall: which bracket to choose

The vertical bracket with a hook is the cheapest and takes the least width, but it means lifting the bike 40-60 cm and is awkward with heavy bikes. The horizontal one with arms spreads the load better and makes lifting the bike easier, but takes more width. Ceiling pulley systems let you raise the bike up to 2.5 m and free up the floor, although they need a concrete ceiling or slab.

If the bike is carbon, avoid brackets that clamp the frame tube: carbon does not tolerate the sideways pressure of a clamp well. It is better to hang the bike by its wheels. If the rim is carbon, check that the hook is wide and rubber-coated. On an electric bike the battery and motor add up to 20-25 kg; only hang it if the bracket manufacturer says it is rated for that.

Common mistakes when hanging a bike

• Hanging it from a small plastic plug. For a bike of 12 kg use 8 or 10 mm plugs and coach screws, never picture plugs.
• Not finding the stud in plasterboard. A screw straight into a 12.5 mm board holds 2-3 kg; the bike will come down within weeks.
• Hanging it by a carbon frame with tight clamps. It can crush the tube and damage the bike without it showing.
• Forgetting space for the handlebars and pedals. With 30 cm between bikes, the handlebars clash and the paint gets scratched.
• Not protecting the wall. The wheel leaves a black mark on the plaster within a few weeks.
• Drilling without a detector. In flats and coastal houses, water pipes can run close to the surface, and drilling into a pipe causes a leak and a costly repair.

When to call a professional

It is worth having a professional do it if the wall is plasterboard and the bracket has to be fixed to a stud, if the wall is hollow brick and the chemical anchor needs a knack, if you are hanging more than two bikes, if the bike is electric, or if you are installing a ceiling system. Also if you have no hammer drill or stepladder, or if you would rather not risk a pipe.

We have no separate rate for bike brackets: we quote by the hour, with the first hour at €35-45 and following hours at €28-35. One bike with a bracket usually takes the first hour; three bikes, a couple of hours. If you are also hanging pictures or mirrors, 5 pictures or mirrors cost €45-70 and a curtain pole €35-55. Fixed price before we start, with a photo of the wall and the bike on WhatsApp.

See the TV, picture and light hanging service, handyman hourly rates, and the guides on how to mount a TV on plasterboard, how to hang a heavy mirror and how to anchor furniture to the wall. We cover Valencia, Alicante, Torrevieja and Benidorm.

Salt air, damp and the residents' association: coastal care

On the coast, zinc-plated steel screws rust within a few years if the bike is on a terrace, in a storeroom or in a damp garage. Use A2 stainless or hot-dip galvanised coach screws and brackets, and avoid hanging the bike against a wall with rising damp. An oiled chain next to an emulsion-painted wall leaves a stain: fit a protector.

If the bike is in the garage or a communal storeroom, check the community statutes: drilling into common walls (garage, landings, patios) may need the permission of the president or the junta, and drilling into slabs or ceilings of communal garages usually needs authorisation. Inside your own home or in your own private storeroom, drilling is your decision, but respect the comunidad de vecinos (residents' association) noise hours.